I'm not quite sure what you're asking. The robot surgical tools are the same ones surgeons use, but much smaller and more finely tuned, so they are more accurate. They can be smaller partly because the surgeons are controlling them through a robot intermediary. They are also accompanied by video cams that give the surgeons closeups of what they're working on. So they are really extensions of the surgeon.

Do you see a time, Ann, when technical people -- who may understand the technology better than a surgeon -- are at the controls of this technology? Or, will we see a form of surgical practice that specializes on the use technology?

Beth, I think the answer is yes. Meaning, a combination of several factors. For one thing, the story I wrote on the open source Raven II surgical robothttp://www.designnews.com/document.asp?doc_id=239419and NASA's use of the daVinci surgical robothttp://www.designnews.com/document.asp?doc_id=237609made it clear that surgical robotics technology is being applied to a variety of applications. Next, the open source Robotic Operating System (ROS), which Raven II is based on, and open source robotics in general, are taking off, broadening the types of surgery robotic assistance is being aimed at. And patients, as well as surgeons, are also becoming more accustomed to the idea and the practice.

Impressive robot, Ann. Sounds like the robots movements are finer than a surgeon's hands. Is it still the surgeon who manipulates the robot? It would be interesting to see in coming year whether technicians will control medical robots, thus replacing surgeons -- a new version of the machine versus the human body.

Cool development, Ann. It does seem like you (and others) have been writing a ton about medical-related robotics technology lately. Have we turned the tide on some particular piece of technology or perhaps a cultural shift that signals this segment is more ready to embrace this kind of technology?

A few weeks ago, Ford Motor Co. quietly announced that it was rolling out a new wrinkle to the powerful safety feature called stability control, adding even more lifesaving potential to a technology that has already been very successful.

It won't be too much longer and hardware design, as we used to know it, will be remembered alongside the slide rule and the Karnaugh map. You will need to move beyond those familiar bits and bytes into the new world of software centric design.

People who want to take advantage of solar energy in their homes no longer need to install a bolt-on solar-panel system atop their houses -- they can integrate solar-energy-harvesting shingles directing into an existing or new roof instead.

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